Did Islam destroy pagan rituals?

[Guest Learner]

Asalam alikum wa rahmat Allah wa barakatuh. So I know Islam removed paganism, but I wanted to ask what about things like Ramadan, hajj, tawau and wudu. I heard these things were pre Islamic Arab pages rituals, so how did Islam remove things pagan if these are still there?

[Haji 2003]

On 12/25/2023 at 12:46 PM, Guest Learner said:

I wanted to ask what about things like Ramadan, hajj

The Hajj answer is very easy.

Prophet Ibrahim ((عليه السلام).) built the Ka'aba for the worship of Allah. The fact it had idols inside when the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) removed them simply means that monotheistic practice had been corrupted by pagans.

[Quran313]

2 hours ago, Guest Learner said:

I heard these things were pre Islamic Arab pages rituals, 

Thst's the answer. You just "heard" as you said. 

[Ashvazdanghe]

17 hours ago, Guest Learner said:

like Ramadan, hajj, tawau and wudu. I heard these things were pre Islamic Arab pages rituals, so how did Islam remove things pagan if these are still there?

Salam ,These rituals have been obliged on all previous faithful nations but these rituals have been distorted by Arab pagans which Islam has purified these  rituals from their deviation which also  removed hardship of  these  which have been happened due to distortion of other Abrahamic faiths before Islam so then justified these rituals in mild & rational way as it's original procedure without any deviation & distortion .

Prescribing Fasting for previous nations

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O you who have faith! Prescribed for you is fasting as it was prescribed for those who were before you, so that you may be Godwary. (183)

https://tanzil.net/#2:183

2- The place of prayer in Abrahamic religions
[edit]
The place of prayer in Abrahamic religions except Islam:

2.1 - The place of prayer in Zoroastrian religion
Zoroastrians' prayer is very similar to Muslim prayer, and they have to pray at five times and special prayers, and they also have preliminaries for performing religious ceremonies, which are not unlike the preliminaries of prayer in Islam. It is stated in the Zoroastrian religion book that Zoroastrians divide every 24 hours into 5 periods or Gaah and religious customs are subordinate to these five. Every faithful Zoroastrian is required to recite special prayers in each of the five periods. A

2.2 - In the Jewish religion
In this chapter, first of all, we will bring evidence from the Qur'an, as the most reliable source that has informed the past, about prayer in the Sharia of Prophet Moses (peace be upon him). Then we will discuss about the subject from the content of several narrations from the Imams of the Infallible Imams (peace be upon them) and at the end we will refer to the contents of the Torah book (Old Testament) and expert writers and historians.
When Hazrat Musa (peace be upon him) emigrated from his homeland with his wife on the way of the divine mission and went to the desert and in the dark and darkness of the night, encountered storms and rains and suffered anxiety and distress due to many hardships and problems, the Merciful Lord for His peace revealed to him that:

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I have chosen you; so listen to what is revealed. (13) Indeed I am Allah—there is no god except Me. So worship Me, and maintain the prayer for My remembrance. (14)

https://tanzil.net/#trans/en.qarai/20:14

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 He said, ‘What about the former generations?’ (51)

https://tanzil.net/#trans/en.qarai/20:51

He said, ‘Their knowledge is with my Lord, in a Book. My Lord neither makes any error nor forgets.’ (52)

https://tanzil.net/#trans/en.qarai/20:52

 

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In this verse, after the worship of the One God, Prophet Moses is reminded of the issue of prayer. In another verse, Moses and his brother Harun were instructed to: "You and your followers settle in Egypt and place your houses as Qiblah and Temple and pray." [23] In this verse, it is addressed to Moses and Aaron to pray.
Also, in verse 77 of Surah Al-Baqarah, while referring to the treaty that was taken from the Children of Israel, the Qur'an has counted prayer as one of the pillars and materials of this treaty.

[23] https://tanzil.net/#trans/en.qarai/10:87

 

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And when we took a covenant from the Children of Israel that you worship none but Him and do good to your parents. And you pray." This verse clearly mentions prayer as a covenant that was taken from the Israelites, side by side with the issue of worshiping God alone and doing good to parents, etc.in divinely religion of Prophet Moses (peace be upon him). Tabari, in his commentary below this verse, quotes a hadith from Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) who said: "The rabbi Jews and the hypocrites used to order people to pray and give zakat, but they did not do it themselves, so Allah ordered those who Muslims should confirm the Prophet and offer prayers. [25]

 2.3 - In the Christanity religion

Prophet Isa(peace be upon him) after stating that he is the messenger of Allah and the divine book was given to him, among the programs, he suggests prayer and zakat.
And by saying, as long as I am alive, and this is because of the great importance of these two programs, because these two are the secret of the relationship between the Creator and the creation.Praying , Zakat  and mercy to Parents were obligatory for the past nations, so its ruling is fixed and it has not been abrogated in any law.[35]
 

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This verse is a good confirmation of the fact that in the heavenly law of Isa (peace be upon him), prayer and performing it is one of the obligatory duties. He had been advised and his mother Hazrat Maryam (peace be upon her) had been ordered by the angels to offer prayers. As among the advices of Prophet Isa (peace be upon him) in the Bible: "I tell you the truth, there is nothing higher in terms of honor in the hereafter and more helpful in worldly events than regular prayer, and there is nothing closer to God the Most Merciful than that, so be persistent in it. Do it and count it a lot. And every worthy deed brings (us) closer to God, so prayer brings us closer to Him and is more chosen in His sight." [36]

https://fa.wikifeqh.ir/عبادت_در_سایر_ادیان

[Ashvazdanghe]

18 hours ago, Guest Learner said:

Ramadan, hajj, tawau and wudu. I heard these things were pre Islamic

 And wage jihad for the sake of Allah, a jihad which is worthy of Him. He has chosen you and has not placed for you any obstacle in the religion, the faith of your father, Abraham. He named you ‘Muslims’ before, and in this, so that the Apostle may be a witness to you, and that you may be witnesses to mankind. So maintain the prayer, give the zakat, and hold fast to Allah. He is your master—an excellent master and an excellent helper. (78)

https://tanzil.net/#trans/en.qarai/22:78

 

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Indeed, with Allah religion is Islam, and those who were given the Book did not differ except after knowledge had come to them, out of envy among themselves. And whoever denies Allah’s signs [should know that] Allah is swift at reckoning. (19) 

https://tanzil.net/#trans/en.qarai/3:19

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Allah desires to lighten your burden, for man was created weak. (28) 

https://tanzil.net/#trans/en.qarai/4:28

Allah desires ease for you, and He does not desire hardship for you,

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The month of Ramadan is one in which the Quran was sent down as guidance to mankind, with manifest proofs of guidance and the Criterion. So let those of you who witness it fast [in] it, and as for someone who is sick or on a journey, let it be a [similar] number of other days. Allah desires ease for you, and He does not desire hardship for you, and so that you may complete the number and magnify Allah for guiding you, and that you may give thanks. (185)

https://tanzil.net/#trans/en.qarai/2:185

Facilitation, companionship, and gentleness in the rules of the Islamic religion do not mean that the religious rules are fake, ineffective, and unaccountable, but the religion has come to bring man to salvation with its rules, and for this, it must have orders, customs, and rules.  Now when he says that religion is easy, it doesnt mean that he should not make any plans, laws and rules for human life!! Rather, at the same time that he has given laws to reach perfection and following these laws (commands and prohibitions) is according to human nature and is easy and suitable and does not have any hatred or disturbance to human nature.

https://javabcity.ir/node/1906

 

[Ashvazdanghe]

What seems to make the rules of Islam difficult compared to religions like Christianity is that, unfortunately, today's Christianity is very far from authentic Christianity, the rules and duties section of Christianity is very faint and even deleted, or a few people like Monks act on them.

What exists in the eyes of people from other religions such as Christianity is the behavior and beliefs of the followers of these religions, not what is contained in the text of their Shari'ah. In the text of Sharia and their religion, there are difficult acts of worship and difficult laws, many of which are not applicable at all today and do not match with the social situation of the contemporary world. For this reason, many of them have either been removed from religious texts over time, or they have remained for certain people such as priests and monks and other followers, many of them have been left aside, which can be attributed to the issue of hijab and the harshness of the conditions of asking forgiveness .

But regarding prayer, we must say that the nature of Islam is a set of beliefs and beliefs along with practical instructions that include both the field of ethics and social relations and the field of Sharia law and human behavior towards oneself, Allah, and others.

In the meantime, some orders and duties have a root and basic aspect that has been emphasized a lot in the nature of religion, and one of the most important things in this regard is prayer; As far as it has been said, the condition for acceptance of other actions is the acceptance of prayer. Imam Muhammad Baqir ((عليه السلام).) says:

«اول ما یحاسب به العبد الصلاه، ان قبلت قبل ما سواها و ان ردت رد ما سواها؛ (5)

The first thing about which the servant is counted is prayer; If it has been accepted, other acts are also accepted. If it is rejected, other actions will also be rejected.

https://www.pasokhgoo.ir/node/96667

[Ashvazdanghe]

Philosophy of Islamic Laws

Naser Makarem Shirazi

Question 1: Do we have the right to ask about the Logic behind Islamic Laws?

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And in this way many philosophies of the Islamic laws are explained, to mention all of which would lengthen the book unduly.

We also get such examples from the traditions of the Holy Prophet ((صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم).a.) and Imam's ((عليه السلام).). The Imam's ((عليه السلام).) themselves explained the philosophies of the Islamic laws or replied when asked by their companions. The great Scholar Shaykh Sadooq (a.r.) has written a famous book, Ilalush Sharaeh, as the name itself shows the book is the Collection of such traditions.

Therefore when we see that the glorious Qur’an itself and the Islamic leaders on many occasions have explained the logic behind Islamic Laws, it is a proof that they have given us the right to discuss about it. If the situation were opposite they would have refrained us from contemplation and research in the Islamic Laws.

From whatever is said above we conclude that it is allowed to do research and find the reasons behind Islamic laws.
And in this way the style and explanation of the Holy Prophet ((صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم).a.) and the Holy Imams ((عليه السلام).) has given us the right to know the secrets of Islamic laws.

It is wrong to think that by explaining the philosophies of Islamic laws their importance and value is decreased, but in fact explanation of these things satisfies intellect and reason of a person and then he applies laws in his practical life, which makes their life more dynamic. And in this way a person doesn't follow the Islamic law in a dry way but acts on the laws of Islam with a great fervor. This was one side of the question.

Question 2: How to ponder on the Philosophy of Islamic Laws?

Religious commands can be divided into four types

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:

(1)    Those orders whose philosophies was clarified to the people at the start of Besat (proclamation of prophethood) and people understood according to their caliber and the information already had 

(2)    Those orders whose wisdom was not understood by the people and sometimes even the scholars of those times the Qur’an or the sayings of Ahlul Bayt ((عليه السلام).) expounded their philosophies.

 

But it is necessary to remember that benefits and secrets were explained according to the level of intelligence the people and it does not mean that whatever philosophy is being given is limited to that alone. It also does not mean that it is not allowed to contemplate more on it.

(3)    Those laws whose secrets were revealed due to the passage of time and subsequently we could understand the greatness of divine commands.

(4)    The last types of laws whose logic was neither explained in the beginning, nor they were explained in the Islamic books and the passage of time has revealed their secrets to us. The number of Rakats (units) of Prayers, the minimum quantity of the items on which Zakat is obligatory, or some rituals of Hajj etc fall into this category.

Question 31: Are Other Religions Right?

https://www.al-islam.org/philosophy-islamic-laws-naser-makarem-shirazi-jafar-subhani/question-2-how-ponder-philosophy-islamic

 

[Ashvazdanghe]

19 hours ago, Guest Learner said:

hajj

There are a group of Sabeans who consider Baitullah Al-Haram as great and respect the Kaaba and visit it every year. This sect believes that the Kaaba and its idols belonged to them and that  idol worshipers were from them, and they called "Lat" and "Uzza" after the stars of Saturn and Venus!
It is said that the Sabeans bow down to the Kaaba and believe that it was built by Hermes, i.e. Idris, and that there is the house of Saturn, the biggest star of the planet. (8) The Holy Qur'an has spoken about the Sabeans in three cases: Surah Baqarah verse 62, Surah Ma'idah verse 69 and Surah Hajj verse 17.
In some cases, this ritual is common with other rituals and in some cases it is different.

Hajj in ancient Iranian civilization
In the civilization of ancient Persia, there were customs, beliefs and ideas, the description of which is beyond the scope of this article, and we will limit ourselves to only a short part of it, and that is the Zoroastrian religion, which was the most famous religion of ancient Iran and was established in the 10th or 6th century BC. It has been of interest to Iranians since AD and some of its followers still live in Yazd, Iran and India. The followers of Zoroastrian religion have taken their teachings from the five holy books, which their prophet Zoroaster considers to be the revelation of the one God named "Ahura Mazda", which means the god of light and sky. One of these sacred books is the book "Elyasna" «الیاسنا» which deals with rituals and customs and we can understand that these customs and rituals show a form of Hajj, among them are annual pilgrimages from Temples during religious holidays where sacrifices, offerings, ceremonies and rituals are performed.
Followers of Zoroastrianism have annual pilgrimages in which they perform special religious rituals, wear white clothes and sacrifice, and this Hajj is a literal pilgrimage.

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It is stated in Murūj aḏ-Ḏahab ( The Meadows of Gold) al-Masudi: "Previous Iranians used to sing the Hajj song of God's House, and they were circumambulating and bowing to it." The last Iranian to perform Hajj was Sasan son of Babak, the ancestor of Ardeshir son of Babak, who was the first king and father of the Sasanian dynasty. Sasan was the one who visited the Kaaba and circumambulated it and whispered prayers next to the well of Zamzam. (20) Some Iranian poets mentioned this issue after the advent of Islam and said:

وما زلنا نجح البیت قدما     و نلقی بالاباطح آمنینا
و ساسان بن بابک سار حتی     اتی البیت العتیق یطوف دینا
فطاف به و زمزم عند بئر     لاسماعیل تروی الشار بینا(21)

"Since the ancient times, we have always performed Tawaf and met safely in the land of Makkah.
And Sasan, the son of Babak, who came to visit the old house and circumambulated it according to his religious duty.
And he started humming over the well of Zamzam, which belongs to Ishmael and waters the thirsty bow."
 

And Masudi also says:
"Iranians used to present property, gifts, and jewels to the Kaaba; Among them, Sasan, the son of Babak, gave a statue of two deer made of gold and jewels, as well as some gold swords and many jewels to the Kaaba, which were poured into the well of Zamzam.
Then he adds:
"Some historians and masters of Seerah believe that these gifts were from Jurhum who lived in Mecca, while they had no wealth. And maybe others gave these as gifts, and Allah knows best." (22)

 

 

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1- According to Halabi's narration, Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) was asked: Was there a pilgrimage to the Kaaba before the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) was sent? The Imam replied: "Yes, and the reason for that is Shuaib's speech, which is mentioned in the Qur'an, that before his daughter's marriage to Hazrat Musa, he said:...عَلَی أَنْ تَأْجُرَنِی ثَمَانِیَةَ حِجَجٍ... .(11)  Be my hired servant for eight Hajj and he did not say eight years.
Also, Adam and Noah performed Hajj and Solomon performed Hajj with the company of jinns, humans, birds and winds, and Moses performed Hajj on a red-haired camel while saying: "Labbaik, Labbaik" and as the Holy Quran says. : "The first house that was built for people is the house that is in Makkah and it is the guide of the worlds"; إِنَّ أَوَّلَ بَيْتٍ وُدَعَ لَنَّاسُ لَلَّذِي ببَقَّةَ Mubaraka وهودی لْلْعالمینَ.
And he also mentions: "And when Abraham and Ishmael were raising the walls of the house" and also addressing Abraham and Ishmael he said: "Purify my house for those who circumambulate and those who are nearby, and those who bow and prostrate, and indeed Allah sent the black stone to Adam and the house existed from that time." (12)

Hajj in Roman civilization
In Roman civilization, there is also a ceremony called Hajj, in which special religious rituals are arranged. They have built a large, square and round building, and offer sacrifices, gifts, and offerings to them. For each of these statues, a deity is placed and they approach them to please the gods and avoid their anger. The priests advise the pilgrims of the temples and shrines to carefully perform the religious ceremonies and customs and for this purpose, to attend the annual and other festivals, and whenever a mistake occurs in one of these religious customs, it is obligatory. even if that action is repeated thirty times. (9)
The most important of these rites is sacrifice, which is performed in one of the holidays called Eid of pigs, sheep and cows. They believe that whenever a special conjugation is recited on the sacrifice, it will belong to that god whose name was sacrificed and thus the sacrifice is made for the gods...
The Romans have chosen another place for Hajj, and that is the moon goddess named "Diana". According to them, Diana is the spirit of the tree they brought from Erisa, when this region surrendered to the rule of Rome! Near Erisa there is a lake called "Nimi" and a dense forest where the shrine is located and it is the shelter of pilgrims and Hajj performers. The religious customs of the Romans continued until the second century AD, and after that, Christian Rome made other forms and types of Hajj common, which will be discussed in the discussion of Hajj and Christianity.

Hajj in Christanity

The distorted book of the Christians, the Bible, has dedicated religious holidays such as Passover (1) and Resurrection, Eid al-Milad (birth) and Eid al-Fitas to them, and their holidays are mostly associated with ceremonies and rituals similar to Hajj.
One of the Christian writers named «ونسنک» "Vensenk" writes about the Christian pilgrimage:

"Arab lexicographers have interpreted Hajj as "intention" and this is the same as the meaning of Hajj in the eyes of (Christians). In addition to this, its idiomatic meaning is also the same as the idiom in Arabic, and it seems that the substance and meaning of this word in the North and South Semitic language is the same as circumambulating and revolving." (2)
In the distorted Bible, there is no word called Hajj, but only holidays are mentioned in which they celebrate and rejoice, and from God the Father! And God the Son (Christ), who according to them is a combination of "divine spirit" and "human creation". Therefore, in belief, Christianity is an associator with God, and their religion cannot be called a monotheistic religion, and their beliefs are governed by dualism or trinity; "God the Father, God the Son and the Holy Spirit"

Regarding Hajj and the religion of the first Christianity, it can be said that Jesus (Isa), peace be upon him, was also among the prophets who responded to the call of Ibrahim Khalil, peace be upon him; When he sang the Hajj song at the command of God.
Jesus, peace be upon him, was one of the first prophets and he knew that the call of Abraham is universal and is not limited to a specific Sharia, but includes all heavenly religions and all prophets and messengers, and it is a general duty for all those responsible.
As used in the traditions, all the prophets have come to the house of God. These narrations, which were narrated from the Prophet and the Imams (peace be upon them), emphasize that Isa son of Mary, the Spirit of God, came to the Holy Kaaba and performed Hajj to the House of Allah. It is narrated from the Prophet, may God bless him and his progeny, that he said:
 

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«وَ الَّذی نَفْسُ محمّد بِیَدِهِ لَیُهِلَّنَّ ابنُ مریم بِفَجِّ الرَّوحاءِ حاجّا أو مُعْتَمِرا أَو لیثنیهما».(3)
By the one in whose the life of Muhammad (Allah bless him and his family)in his hand,  the son of Mary crossed the  mountain pass of "Ruha"«روحا» while raising his voice to speak softly and gone for Hajj or Umrah, or both.
Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said in a narration:
«وَ مَرَّ عِیسَی بْنُ مَرْیَمَ بِصِفَاحِ الرَّوْحَاءِ وَ هُوَ یَقُولُ لَبَّیْکَ عَبْدُکَ ابْنُ أَمَتِکَ لَبَّیْکَ»(4)
"And Isa son of Mary passed by the صفائح الروحاء (mountain pass of "Ruha) and he said Labbaik! your servant and son of your to your maid"!Labbaik (4)
"Isa bin Maryam passed through the valleys of Ruha, while saying: Labbaik! Your servant and the child of your maid! Labbaik.
About the time of the Prophets' Hajj to the Old House; Among them, Jesus, peace be upon him, Imam Ali bin Musa al-Reza, peace be upon him, says: "The time of Hajj was the decade of Dhul Hajja... and those prophets are: Adam, Noah, Abraham, Jesus, Moses, and Muhammad, peace be upon them, and Other prophets who performed Hajj to the house of Allah at this point in time and this became a tradition for their children until the Day of Resurrection" (5).
In this way, the Hajj of Jesus, who is one of the first Prophets, is not possible to oppose the Hajj of other Prophets and to choose Jerusalem or any other place for his and his followers'.

Deviation of Christians in Hajj
Like the Jews, the Christians deviated from the divine traditions and the way of the prophets and ignored the teachings of their prophet and hid the teachings of the Sharia under veils of distortion and concealment.

http://ensani.ir/fa/article/86653/حج-در-رهگذر-تمدن-ها

https://ensani.ir/fa/article/87059/حج-در-آیین-مسیحیت

 

[Ashvazdanghe]

21 hours ago, Guest Learner said:

pre Islamic Arab pages rituals

Hajj in Jahiliyyah (ignorance)
The people of Jahiliyyah era in the Arabian Peninsula and its regions used to sanctify and respect the house of Kaaba, Mena and Arafat. They circumambulated, recited talbiya, sacrificed camels, and performed Rami Jamarat while wearing Ihram clothes. Their Hajj began on the ninth day of Dhul Hajjah, and when the pilgrims reached Arafat, they wore the special clothes they had brought with them for Hajj.

Jahiz writes about this:
"The appearance of the people of the sanctuary when they left the sanctuary in other than the Haram months was to throw a collar around their neck and hang something on it, and whenever one of them sang the Hajj song, he would wear the clothes of the pilgrims." (15)
The focus of Jahiliyyah Hajj was Abrahamic Hajj. The Arabs did not preserve anything else from the Shariat of Abraham except for the rituals of Hajj. Although they subtracted something from it or added something to it. They placed idols in the house of the Kaaba, which numbered more than three hundred, and among them were Hubal, Lat, Uzza, and Manat.

Kalby writes:
"They bowed to the Kaaba and Mecca, and performed Hajj and Umrah, and this was the legacy that was left to them from Abraham and Ismail." (16)
And also writes:
"The Arabs of Jahiliyyah used to bow and circumambulate the house according to what was left for them from the covenant of Abraham and Ismail. Hajj and Umrah, stopping at Arafa and Mash'ar, giving a sacrificial camel as a gift, and becoming Mehram for Hajj and Umrah were among their customs, which were mixed with some self-created customs." (17)

The Holy Qur'an talks about the pilgrimage of the ignorant Arabs and their actions near the Kaaba and mentions their polytheistic and ugly actions that were associated with pride, trade and chaos:

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وَمَا کَانَ صَلاَتُهُمْ عِنْدَ الْبَیْتِ إِلاَّ مُکَاءً وَتَصْدِیَةً ؛

Their prayer at the House is nothing but whistling and clapping. So taste the punishment because of what you used to defy. (35)

https://tanzil.net/#trans/en.qarai/8:35

Each of the Arab tribes of Jahiliyyah had their own idol, which they followed until they reached Mecca, and when they performed the Hajj, they would sigh loudly and stand near that idol and pray, and as Talbiyah They repeated, clapped and whistled and their Talbiyah was:

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«لَبَّیْکَ اللَّهُمَّ لَبَّیْکَ، لَبَّیْکَ لا شَرِیکَ لَکَ إِلاّ شَرِیکٌ هُوَ لَکَ، تَمْلِکُهُ وَ مَا مَلَکَ».(19)

And one of the rites of some of them during Tawaf was to do naked Tawaf and without clothes.

"Sheikh Tusi" says: Saeed bin Jubeir says: The people of Jahiliyah used to say these sentences during talbiyah (saying labbaik): "Labaik, Allahuma Labaik, Labbik Lasharika Lak Ella Sharik howa Laka Tamleku wa Ma Malik" then this verse is used to refute their speech. It was revealed.[1][2]

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ضَرَبَ لَكُمْ مَثَلًا مِنْ أَنْفُسِكُمْ ۖ هَلْ لَكُمْ مِنْ مَا مَلَكَتْ أَيْمَانُكُمْ مِنْ شُرَكَاءَ فِي مَا رَزَقْنَاكُمْ فَأَنْتُمْ فِيهِ سَوَاءٌ تَخَافُونَهُمْ كَخِيفَتِكُمْ أَنْفُسَكُمْ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ نُفَصِّلُ الْآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ

[30–28]

He draws for you an example from yourselves: Do you have among your slaves any partners [who may share] in what We have provided you, so that you are equal in its respect, and you revere them as you revere one another? Thus do We elaborate the signs for people who exercise their reason.

https://tanzil.net/#trans/en.qarai/30:28

It is worth noting that the Hajj to the Kaaba in the Jahiliyyah era was not exclusive to Arabs. History says that Iranians and other nations used to come to the Kaaba for Hajj, and they honored it and gave gold and silver, sacrifices and offerings to it.

http://ensani.ir/fa/article/86653/حج-در-رهگذر-تمدن-ها

https://wiki.ahlolbait.com/آیه_28_سوره_روم#Qarai

[Ashvazdanghe]

 

Hajj in Indian civilization
The rituals of India cannot be counted in terms of the number of inhabitants and its many religions. India is not like Egypt or Babylon or Rome, but it is a continent where there are countless religions from paganism and barbarism to sublime spiritual religions in this country.
Hindus also have annual festivals like other nations. Some of these holidays are associated with rituals of pilgrimage and respect to a temple or a shrine or a special building, which can be considered something similar to Hajj in its literal sense.
 

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Following the example of their predecessors, Hindus recite prayers, prayers and other rituals in Sanskrit language and start large caravans, in other words, they move many pilgrims and visit shrines and temples. They do not understand anything about prayers and supplications; Because it is read in Sanskrit. They only know the idols that are decorated with ornaments and decorated with gold and decorated with precious jewels and somehow they act with them as if they are human and intelligent!

 

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The biggest ceremony and collective ritual from the point of view of Indians is sacrifice. According to Hindus, sacrifice is not just a formal act, but they believe that if they do not sacrifice for their gods, they will die of hunger! At that time, when eating human flesh was still common among Hindus, the sacrifice was taken from humans, and gradually with the development of the culture and ethics of the people of this country, human sacrifice became animal sacrifice.

The most important religious center of Hindus, which has been of interest since the 16th century BC, is the city of Varanasi, which has been given special importance and is chosen as the Hajj Kaaba every year. they visit and the golden temple is located there.
Will Durant writes in describing this city:
Varanasi is one of the holy cities of India, which has the title of Kaaba for millions of pilgrims. Old men and women from all over  visit it and come there to wash themselves in the holy river (ganges river) to cleanse themselves from sin and clean themselves from pollution and visit the dead.

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This is an example of the Hajj of ancient India. If we go forward a few centuries and reach the 8th century of the Hijri, we come across another type of Hajj that some perverts attribute to Islam, which is one of the claimants of Mahdism named "Mullah Muhammad Mahdi Atki" was its founder and he wrote his opinions in a book called Burhanبرهان. The story of this Hajj as written by "Maulana Abdul Khaliq" is as follows: "A misguided person named Mullah Muhammad Mahdi Atki lived in Punjab. From there he migrated until he reached a place in Baluchistan called Kij and he took advantage of the ignorance of the people there and called himself the promised Mahdi and a group of people converted to him. He said: No one will be asked about prayer, fasting, Hajj and Zakat on the Day of Judgment! And with this blasphemous heresy, he forced a group to abandon prayer, fasting, Hajj, and Zakat, and instead of Hajj to the honorable Kaaba, he introduced acts similar to Hajj and built places similar to holy places, such as Mount Arafat, Mount Thor, Cave Hera, and house of Kaaba so that people can visit it as a pilgrimage.
Ahmad Molana writes: "Their pilgrimage is not to the holy Kaaba and happens during the forbidden months, but the famous mountain called Murad Mountain, which is located in the south of Torbat city, is the place of their pilgrimage, and in the last days of the month of Ramadan, 27 onwards, they will perform Hajj in three days!" (10)

 

Hajj in China
 

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China, like India, is not a country of one nation and religion, but a mixture of different nationalities and different and incompatible languages. Historians have written about Indian culture and civilization since three thousand years before Christ and have recorded their habits, customs, and religions, which we will skip mentioning and only a small part of that is related to the pilgrimage of the Chinese and Their actions are related, we will suffice:
The most famous building that the Chinese go to visit is the "Temple and Altar of Heaven". They say: The great emperor of China named "Tai Dzong" used to come there at three in the morning on the first day of the Chinese year to pray for his family and other people, and he made sacrifices, and the Chinese people have continued this tradition.

Hajj in Japan
 

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We go to Japan, we see the people of this country in many matters; Because philosophy, ideas, architecture and temple building have imitated China. With the difference that Japanese temples are richer than Chinese temples in terms of beauty and carvings. The big gates that are at the entrance to shrines and sacred places in Japan are not seen in China; One of the religious traditions of Japan is that Buddhists travel to the city of "Nara" to honor their ancestors by visiting the temples of that city, where they swore to liberate Japan from Chinese colonialism They continuously visit this city and pray and sacrifice in memory of their ancestors. A group of Japanese people are used to sanctifying the spirits of their ancestors to the extent that they consider their worship as part of religious rituals... These temples are called "Fei Ja Yama" in Japanese. Fuji means fire.
There is another type of Hajj in Japan that is related to flowers and it can be called "Blossom Pilgrimage". Flowers are sacred in the eyes of the Japanese and they are worshiped and sacrificed to them. They consecrate a type of blossom in each season.

Hajj in the Nile Valley Civilization

The temple of Abu simbel where the tomb of Osiris is located.
For "Osiris" is a myth written on the wall of the temple in Hebrew, this superstitious myth was so important to them that the grave of the hero of the story was the Kaaba circumambulation of his fans who gave exquisite and precious gifts to it.

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[Ashvazdanghe]

Hajj of prophets and civilizations
We saw Hajj in civilizations, the question is where were the prophets? Didn't they come to guide the people and where were the people? Were they not the children of civilizations scattered across the world?
The truth is that the prophets have lived among these civilizations in large numbers, and their tradition was to guide people to the religion of God.

As much as we can say that what is left of the correct religious rituals in the civilizations was undoubtedly founded by the prophets. Prophets in all previous civilizations have been the true leaders of their nations, but also all people, and they have been inspired by heaven in guiding them.
And since Hajj is also a great religious duty, the Prophets have been the guardians of it and have led the people in performing the rituals of Hajj.
There are narrations of many prophets and Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them, that all the prophets and messengers have performed Hajj to the House of Allah, and no prophet has failed in this divine duty.

 

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1- According to Halabi's narration, Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) was asked: Was there a pilgrimage to the Kaaba before the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny) was sent? The Imam replied: "Yes, and the reason for that is Shuaib's speech, which is mentioned in the Qur'an, that before his daughter's marriage to Hazrat Musa, he said:...عَلَی أَنْ تَأْجُرَنِی ثَمَانِیَةَ حِجَجٍ... .(11)  Be my hired servant for eight Hajj and he did not say eight years.
Also, Adam and Noah performed Hajj and Solomon performed Hajj with the company of jinns, humans, birds and winds, and Moses performed Hajj on a red-haired camel while saying: "Labbaik, Labbaik" and as the Holy Quran says. : "The first house that was built for people is the house that is in Makkah and it is the guide of the worlds";

إِنَّ أَوَّلَ بَيْتٍ وُدَعَ لَنَّاسُ لَلَّذِي ببَقَّةَ  وهودی لْلْعالمینَ.

And he also mentions: "And when Abraham (Ibrahim) and Ishmael (Ismail) were raising the walls of the house" and also addressing Abraham (Ibrahim) and Ishmael (Ismail) he said: "Purify my house for those who circumambulate and those who are nearby, and those who bow and prostrate, and indeed Allah sent the black stone (al-Hajar al-Aswad) to Adam and the house existed from that time." (12)

12 . بحار الأنوار، ج99، ص44، ح33

(12) Bihar al-Anwar , V 99 , P 44 , H 33

 

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2- It is from Imam Reza (peace be upon him) that if someone asks: Why has the Hajj season been decided in the month of Dhul Hijja? In response, say:
"Because Allah wanted to be worshiped with these rites during the days of Tashriq, and the first people who performed Hajj were the angels who circumambulated during these days, and this tradition became permanent until the Day of Judgment, and as for the prophets: Adam, Noah (Nuh), Abraham (Ibrahim), Jesus(Isa) , Moses (Musa), Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, and other prophets performed Hajj at this time, and this became a Sunnah for their children until the Day of Resurrection." (13)

13 . بحار الأنوار، ج99، ص45

(12) Bihar al-Anwar , V 99 , P 45 
And in the book "Akhbar Makkah" by Azraqi, it is stated: "Between Rukn and Maqam up to Zamzam are the graves of ninety-nine prophets who came here for Hajj and were buried after their death." (14)

14 . اخبار مکه، ج1، ص68

"Akhbar Makkah"  (News of Mecca) , V1 , P 68

 

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